MSP for Dunfermline Bill Walker has congratulated Fife charity Furniture Plus on receiving £114,057 from the Big Lottery Fund’s Support and Connect scheme. The award will enable the charity to expand their service to beneficiaries experiencing furniture poverty but who do not qualify for local authority support.

Mr Walker, who enjoyed a tour of the charity’s Dunfermline Pitreavie showroom in May, said: “Furniture Plus offers an invaluable service to Dunfermline and the wider Fife community. They strive to combat poverty by offering quality low-cost furniture to people facing financial hardship. Read more of this post

That the Parliament congratulates Children with Special Needs in Pre-School (CSNIPs) on being awarded an £8,740 Awards for All grant from the Big Lottery Fund; notes that the Fife-based charity aims to enable and support the inclusion in safe and satisfying play of pre-school children with additional support needs; understands that the grant will help CSNIPs fund the sessional fees for two playfriends for 38 weeks, and encourages the involvement of all children in pre-school activities, which it considers will help develop better social skills before starting school.

CSNIPs (Children with Special Needs in Pre-School), based in Comrie, Fife, has received £8,740 from the Big Lottery Fund. The charity enables and supports the inclusion in safe and satisfying pre-school play of Fife children with additional support needs.

Bill Walker, MSP for Dunfermline, welcomed the news: “I’m very happy CSNIPs has secured such a substantial Awards for All grant from the Big Lottery.

“The charity fulfils an important role in helping pre-school children in Fife who require additional support. The positive impact of CSNIPs can be life-changing for families, not only by helping to teach children social skills, but also by giving parents confidence that their children are receiving the correct care. Read more of this post

That the Parliament congratulates Dunfermline Carnegie Hockey Club on receiving a £7,500 Big Lottery Awards for All grant from sportscotland; notes that the club previously received £1,700 Awards for All funding in September 2012; understands that the award will be used to fund outdoor and indoor facility hire and help pay for coaching and training costs, and notes what it sees as the importance of supporting sports clubs in the run up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Dunfermline Carnegie Hockey Club have yet again secured funding from the Big Lottery – news which was welcomed by MSP for Dunfermline Bill Walker:

“I am glad that our local hockey club has received a £7,500 Awards for All grant from sportscotland, reflecting their dedication to the sport in our area.

“The club also received £1,900 Big Lottery funding last year, showing the importance of continued support to sports clubs and organisations throughout Scotland in the run up to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, which are now less than a year away. Read more of this post

The Bruce Festival has become an eagerly anticipated event in the Fife calendar and takes place on 24th and 25th of August.

Fifteen thousand visitors are expected to flock to Dunfermline and the Glen to enjoy a huge range of free entertainment including a medieval village, storytelling, jousting, battle re-enactments and a food and craft court. Brought to life by Dunfermline Delivers with the support of Fife Council, this event has something for everyone and will no doubt be a great day out for all the family. Read more of this post

So far, we have had some pleasant weather, which we have not been used to in recent years. The Scottish Parliament is in recess which, contrary to what some observers say, is not one two-month holiday!

A most depressing aspect of current politics is the low level to which so-called debate can descend on the Independence Referendum to be held in September 2014, especially on the “No” side. There is nothing “better” about some of the scare tactics employed by the Better Together campaign. I do hope that arguments about the future will improve in quality, especially regarding each side’s views of a positive future for Scotland. They do themselves no credit by focusing on negative images of Scotland’s future as allegedly planned by their opponents. Read more of this post

I was pleased to learn that Carnegie Primary School in Duloch, Dunfermline, had earned an “Outstanding” BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) award for its environmental credentials. A couple of years ago, I attended the dedication ceremony when First Minister, Alex Salmond, opened the School.

The new School building and grounds are very spacious and have extensive outdoor facilities. The School has a combined heat and power plant, a wind turbine and external cedar cladding, which makes it one of the most environmentally friendly primary schools in Fife. Moreover, the facilities in the school grounds mean that pupils can benefit from learning outdoors and be encouraged to become responsible citizens who value and protect our natural world. Read more of this post

I recently met glass-painter Jacquelyne Davidson who is encouraging other young mothers to follow their creative instincts and take the plunge in setting up their own businesses.

Jacquelyne, mother to six-year-old Christopher-Luke, launched hand-painted glassware business “Jac By Design” in November 2012, after twelve years of glass-painting as a hobby. She sells her glassware online and at the Kilns gift shop in Limekilns, Potter About in Burntisland and Piggy Bank Gifts in Leslie. Read more of this post

On a recent visit to Holyrood, MSP for Dunfermline Bill Walker bumped into a few interesting characters in the parliament’s hallways… And being a politician he, of course, did not miss out on the photo opportunity!

Fife Councillor for Lochgelly and Cardenden, Ian Chisholm, had been attending First Minister’s Question Time along with Tam Livingstone, a well known local activist and community campaigner. Afterwards, the pair met fellow Fifer, Dunfermline MSP Bill Walker, who treated them to lunch. Luckily for Ian and Tam, there were a couple of far more interesting encounters to come. Read more of this post

A west Fife glass-painter is encouraging other mothers to follow their creative instincts and even take the plunge in setting up their own businesses.

Jacquelyne Davidson, mother to six-year-old Christopher-Luke, launched hand-painted glassware business Jac By Design in November 2012, after twelve years of glass-painting as a hobby. Read more of this post

To ask the Scottish Government whether it would, in an independent Scotland, consider ringfencing a proportion of taxes raised through vehicle excise duty, petrol and diesel for new roads and road maintenance.

That the Parliament congratulates Carnegie Primary School in Duloch, Dunfermline, on earning an “Outstanding” BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) award for its environmental credentials; notes that the £9.6 million school includes features such as a combined heat and power plant, a wind turbine and external cedar cladding; considers that BREEAM is one of the world’s most comprehensive and foremost environmental assessment methods and ratings systems for buildings, which sets the benchmark for best practice in sustainable building design, construction and operation, and believes that Carnegie Primary School is an outstanding example of low-carbon and low-impact design for future schools to note.

A Dunfermline Primary School opened by First Minister Alex Salmond in 2011 has won an “Outstanding” BREEAM award for its environmental credentials.

The £9.6m Carnegie Primary School is the only Scottish school to achieve an ‘Outstanding’ award. Its environmentally sustainable features include a combined heat and power plant, a wind turbine and external cedar cladding. Read more of this post

Dunfermline MSP Bill Walker is encouraging west Fife community groups to find out if their projects for reducing the carbon footprint of their communities are eligible for funding through the Climate Challenge Fund (CCF).

The CCF makes grants of up to £150,000/yr and includes a Junior Climate Challenge Fund of the same amount. Development Grants of £750 are available to help young people, disadvantaged communities and ethnic minority communities develop their applications. Read more of this post